In the case of Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company v. Greene, Auditor of Public Accounts et al., 1916, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railroad company. The court found that Kentucky's method for assessing and taxing property was unconstitutional as it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The state had been using a different standard to assess railroad properties compared to other commercial and individual properties, resulting in higher taxes for railroads. This discriminatory taxation practice was deemed unfair by the court which held that all property within a state must be taxed uniformly and equitably.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company v. Greene, et al., argued that the majority's decision to strike down Kentucky's method of taxing railroad property was incorrect. The dissenters believed that there was no violation of the Fourteenth Amendment as claimed by the plaintiff, and instead asserted that states have a right to determine their own methods for taxation within constitutional limits. They contended that railroads should not be exempt from taxes simply because they are interstate commerce entities; rather, they should pay their fair share like any other business operating within state boundaries. Furthermore, it was pointed out that if every tax law were subjected to judicial scrutiny for absolute equality and fairness, it would lead to an impractical level of interference with legislative powers.